Strength of Zirconium Diboride Ceramics After Cyclic Loading or Heating

Strength losses in diboride ceramics resulting from load cycling near ultimate strength and from thermal cycling to 3000°F were investigated. Specimen configurations included notched and unnotched flexural specimens as well as specimens oriented in 3 orthogonal directions with respect to the billet pressing direction. Flexural fatigue testing for 2 to 8 million cycles produced no failures when stress levels were below 80% of flexural control strengths. Static loading of specimens that survived the fatigue test revealed no strength deterioration as a result of stress cycling. Thermal exposure produced an oxide coating; strength reductions caused by thermal cycling could be correlated with the thickness of this coating.     

Electrical Resistivity of Titanium Diboride and Zirconium Diboride

The electrical resistivities of hot-pressed samples of Ti_{1- x} Zr _x B₂ ( x = 0.0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0) were measured by a four-point ac technique over the range 298 to 1573 K in an argon atmosphere. The hot-pressed samples for the intermediate compositions were found to be mixtures of two solid-solution phases. The resistivities for all compositions were found to increase linearly with temperature and can be described by ρ( T ) =ρ₂₉₈+φ( T - 298). The room-temperature resistivity ρ298 (μΩ cm) and the temperature coefficient of resistivity φ (nΩ·cm/K) for ZrB₂ were determined to be 7.8 and 10, both of which increase with the content of TiB₂. These values for TiB₂ were determined to be 20.4 and 36, respectively.     

Thermal shock behavior of Ti2AlC from 200°C to 1400°C

The thermal shock behavior of Ti₂AlC synthesized by means of self‐propagating high‐temperature combustion synthesis with pseudo hot isostatic pressing is investigated, with a focus on the effect of the quenching temperature and quenching times. In general, Ti₂AlC exhibits a better thermal shock resistance than typical brittle ceramics like Al₂O₃. Although the flexural strength decreases quickly in the temperature range of 300°C‐500°C, no discontinuous decrease in the retained strength is observed in Ti₂AlC which, as with other MAX phases, differs from the behavior of typical brittle ceramics. Overall, the initial strength (grain size) plays a determining role in the thermal shock behavior of Ti₂AlC and other MAX phases. On increasing quench times to 5 cycles, the retained flexural strength decreases further, however with a lower rate of decrease compared with the first quench. Quenching at 300°C and above, voids after the pullout of grains and cracks are present, which however are absent in the un‐quenched samples, indicating the weakening of bonding among grains and the induced damage around the grain boundary during the thermal shock.     

Thermal degradation of poly(methyl methacrylate) at 50°C to 125°C

Small but significant numbers of chain scissions occur in a commercial poly(methyl methacrylate) sheet exposed to temperatures between 50 and 125°C. The scission rate is initially high and then levels off to a constant rate. The short-time rate of chain scissions is temperature dependent, while the long-time rate of chain scissions appears to be temperature independent. Four possible sources of random chain scission initiation were considered: (1) the presence of unreacted initiators of polymerization, (2) free radicals generated from additives in the commercial film, (3) weak links in the polymer chain, and (4) free radicals generated from the thermal decomposition of an oxidation product of methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer. The source most consistent with our results is the one involving free radicals generated from the oxidation product of MMA monomer.     

Pressureless Sintering of Zirconium Diboride

Zirconium diboride (ZrB₂) ceramics were sintered to a relative density of ∼98% without applied external pressure. Densification studies were performed in the temperature range of 1900°–2150°C. Examination of bulk density as a function of temperature revealed that shrinkage started at ∼2100°C, with significant densification occurring at only 2150°C. At 2150°C, isothermal holds were used to determine the effect of time on relative density and microstructure. For a hold time of 540 min at 2150°C, ZrB₂ pellets reached an average density of 6.02±0.04 g/cm³ (98% of theoretical) with an average grain size of 9.0±5.6 μm. Four-point bend strength, elastic modulus, and Vickers' hardness were measured for sintered ZrB₂ and compared with values reported for hot-pressed materials. Vickers' hardness of sintered ZrB₂ was 14.5±2.6 GPa, which was significantly lower when compared with 23 GPa for hot-pressed ZrB₂. Strength and elastic modulus of the ZrB₂ were 444±30 MPa and 454 GPa, which were comparable with values reported for hot-pressed ZrB₂. The ability to densify ZrB₂ ceramics without hot pressing should enable near-net shape processing, which would significantly reduce the cost of fabricating ZrB₂ components compared with conventional hot pressing and machining.     

Aqueous Tape Casting of Zirconium Diboride

Aqueous tape casting of ZrB₂ powder with sintering additives was investigated. The dispersion of ZrB₂ suspensions in aqueous media was studied and characterized in terms of zeta potential, sedimentation, and rheological measurements. A well-stabilized suspension with a high solid content (up to 45 vol%) was prepared in the alkaline pH region with 0.4 wt% Lopon 885 as the dispersant. Several suspensions with different compositions of binder and plasticizer were prepared for comparison. Crack-free green tapes with a maximum thickness of approximately 250 μm were obtained with a binder content of 18–23 wt%. The green tapes had high qualities, such as homogeneity, good flexibility, and a smooth surface. Results showed that the slurries at selected formulations met the needs of the tape-casting process.     

Microstructure Study on Oxidation of Zirconium Diboride

The oxidation behaviors of fused zirconium diboride and chemosynthetic zirconium diboride as well as morphology and composition of their oxidation products were researched by FESEM-EDS and XRD. The two kinds of zirconium diboride were heated at 700 ℃, 900 ℃, 1 100 ℃ and 1 300 ℃ for 3 h in air, respectively. The results show that ZrO_2 and B_2O_3(l) are generated from the chemosynthetic zirconium diboride oxidized at 700 ℃ for 3 h or the fused zirconium diboride oxidized at 800 ℃ for 24 h; B_2O_3(l) dissolves into water and then H_3BO_3 crystallizes.     

超细硼化锆粉体纯化工艺探究

探究了超细ZrB2粉体化学提纯、热处理等纯化工艺过程中的影响因素.并采用热重-差热分析仪、X射线衍射仪、扫描电镜、透射电镜和X射线荧光光谱分析仪对ZrB2粉体及热处理后的水洗产物进行表征和分析.结果表明:B2O3易溶于热水生成硼酸溶液,为了有效地除去B2O3,需经过热水反复洗涤、过滤;随着热处理温度增加,粉体中的C杂质逐渐氧化挥发,但当热处理温度升至700℃时,产物中的ZrB2被氧化生成ZrO2,致使产物迅速增重;热处理温度650℃和热处理时间80min为最佳热处理除杂工艺,此时产物中残留的碳基本全部被除去,但是产物中氧含量较高,后期研究建议选择在惰性气氛中进行.     

Wear of zirconia-dispersed alumina at ambient temperature, 140 °C and 250 °C

Commercial grade alumina along with 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt.% zirconia-dispersed aluminas were tested for their wear resistance at ambient temperature, 140 °C and 250 °C using a pin on disk tribotester fitted with a hot stage. The sample suite was investigated for physical characteristics including hardness, fracture toughness, bulk density, alumina grain size and zirconia grain size. The wear track and wear debris were investigated using profilometry, SEM as well as TEM.

The 5 wt.% zirconia-dispersed aluminas had the lowest wear volume loss over the temperature range. The alumina sample exhibited a wear dependence with relative humidity which is attributed to the formation of a tribochemical layer. Investigation of the tribochemical layer using SEM/EDS and TEM electron diffraction showed the tribochemical layer to be aluminium hydroxide. The major wear mechanism for all samples was brittle fracture.     

Solubility of potassium ferrate in 12 M alkaline solutions between 20°C and 60°C

The solubility of potassium ferrate (K₂FeO₄) was measured in aqueous solutions of NaOH and KOH of total concentration 12 M containing various molar ratios of KOH:NaOH in the range 12:0 to 3:9. Several analytical methods were tested for the determination of ferrate concentration. The final method chosen consisted of potentiometric titration of the ferrate sample with an alkaline solution of As₂O₃. The assumption was made that ferrate dissociates in concentrated KOH solutions predominantly to KFeO₄⁻. The solubility constant, S, defined as the product of the molar concentration of the potassium ion, K⁺, and the ferrate anion, KFeO₄⁻, was found to be 0·044 ± 0·006 mol² dm⁻⁶ for 20°C, 0·093 ± 0·004 mol² dm⁻⁶ for 40°C and 0·15 ± 0·09 mol² dm⁻⁶ for 60°C. From these results the heat of dissolution of K₂FeO₄ was calculated as −14·3 kJ mol⁻¹. At 60°C the enhanced decomposition of the ferrate at the higher temperature led to a greater deviation in solubility values compared with data for either 20°C or 40°C.     

Colloidal Processing of Zirconium Diboride Ultra‐High Temperature Ceramics

Colloidal processing of the Ultra‐High Temperature Ceramic (UHTC) zirconium diboride (ZrB₂) to develop near?net‐shaping techniques has been investigated. The use of the colloidal processing technique produces higher particle packing that ultimately enables achieving greater densification at lower temperatures and pressures, even pressureless sintering. ZrB₂ suspension formulations have been optimized in terms of rheological behavior. Suspensions were shaped into green bodies (63% relative density) using slip casting. The densification was carried out at 1900°C, 2000°C, and 2100°C, using both hot pressing at 40 MPa and pressureless sintering. The colloidally processed materials were compared with materials prepared by a conventional dry processing route (cold pressed at 50 MPa) and subjected to the same densification procedures. Sintered densities for samples produced by the colloidal route are higher than produced by the dry route (up to 99.5% relative density by hot pressing), even when pressureless sintering is performed (more than 90% relative density). The promising results are considered as a starting point for the fabrication of complex‐shaped components that can be densified at lower sintering temperatures without pressure.     

Conductive and Radiative Properties of Soda‐Lime Silicate Glassmelts with Different Iron Contents from 1100°C to 1500°C

This paper presents an inverse method for retrieving (i) the true thermal conductivity, and (ii) the two‐band absorption coefficient of soda‐lime silicate glassmelts between 1100°C and 1550°C from measured steady‐state temperature profiles. This was achieved by combining (i) a forward method solving combined conductive and radiative heat transfer accounting for temperature‐dependent thermal conductivity and spectral absorption coefficient and (ii) an inverse method based on genetic algorithm (GA) optimization. Four glassmelt compositions from ultraclear to gray glasses with iron content ranging from 0.008 to 1.1 wt% were investigated. First, it was established that the steady‐state temperature in glassmelt can be predicted accurately by averaging the spectral absorption coefficient over two bands from 0 to 2.8 μm and 2.8 to 5.0 μm. The inverse method showed that the true thermal conductivity was independent of the iron content and given by k_c(T) = 1.31 + 5.90 × 10^?4T, where T is given in °C. In addition, the band absorption coefficient between 0 and 2.8 μm strongly increased with increasing iron content, while the band absorption coefficient between 2.8–5.0 μm was independent of iron content.     

New Route to Synthesize Ultra-Fine Zirconium Diboride Powders Using Inorganic–Organic Hybrid Precursors

Ultra-fine zirconium diboride (ZrB₂) powders have been synthesized using inorganic–organic hybrid precursors of zirconium oxychloride (ZrOCl₂·8H₂O), boric acid, and phenolic resin as sources of zirconia, boron oxide, and carbon, respectively. The reactions were substantially completed at a relatively low temperature (∼1500°C). The synthesized powders had a smaller average crystallite size (<200 nm), a larger specific surface area (∼32 m²/g), and a lower oxygen content (<1.0 wt%), which were superior to some commercially available ZrB₂ powders. The thermodynamic change in the ZrO₂–B₂O₃–C system was mainly studied by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The crystallite size and morphology of the synthesized powders were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.     

Dispersion and Rheology of Aqueous Zirconium Diboride Nanosuspensions

The dispersion and rheology of aqueous ZrB₂ nanosuspensions were investigated by zeta potential measurements, particle size measurements, sedimentation tests, and rheology measurements, with poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) as dispersant. Results showed that the dispersion and rheology of nanosized ZrB₂ suspensions in aqueous media were dependent on pH value, PAA concentration, solid loading, and ball milling time. Concentrated (up to 30 vol% solid loading) and well‐stabilized aqueous ZrB₂ nanosuspension with low viscosity (0.485 Pa s at 60/s) was prepared at pH 10, with 1.0 wt% PAA.     

A Comparison of 0°–0° and 45°–45° bridge‐Seeded,YBCO single grains

A variety of multiseeding techniques have been investigated over the past 20 yr in an attempt to enlarge bulk (RE)BCO superconducting samples fabricated by the top‐seeded melt growth (TSMG) process for practical applications. Unfortunately, these studies have failed to establish whether technically useful values of trapped field can be achieved in multiseeded bulk samples. In this work specially designed, 0°–0° and 45°–45° bridge seeds of different lengths have been employed to produce improved alignment of the seeds during the TSMG process. The ability of these bridge‐seeded samples to trap magnetic field, which is the key superconducting property for practical applications of bulk (RE)BCO, is compared for the samples seeded using 0°–0° and 45°–45° bridge seeds of different lengths. The grain boundaries produced by these bridge seeds are analyzed in detail, and the similarities and differences between the two bridge‐seeding processes are discussed.     

Oxidation of Polymer‐Derived HfSiCNO up to 1600°C

Oxidation behavior of HfSiCNO ceramics for Hf/Si ratio of 0.09 at 1400°C–1600°C in ambient air is reported. Quantitative X‐ray analysis of oxidized powders shows crystalli‐zation of the amorphous phase into tetragonal hafnia, hafnon, and cristobalite (carbides, seen in inert atmosphere heat treatments are absent). Cross‐sectional SEM shows the oxide overgrowth on the particles to contain precipitates of hafnia/hafnon, while the interior of the particles is decorated with nanoscale grains of hafnia in a necklace‐like formation. The oxidation kinetics of these materials, determined both from weight‐change measurements and from direct observation of oxide overgrowth, are shown to be comparable to the oxidation of SiC single crystals. Oxidation of SiC–SiC minicomposites (straight fiber bundles infiltrated with a SiC matrix), coated with thin films of HfSiCNO prepared by dip‐coating was studied. The overgrowth thicknesses for oxidation time of 1000 h at 1600°C are compared for uncoated, SiCN(O)‐coated, and HfSiCNO‐coated minicomposites.     

The solubility of ettringite at 25°C

Available solubility constants indicate that ettringite should be the stable form of calcium aluminate sulfate hydrate with respect to monosulfate in cement porewater. However, monosulfate is generally present in mature cement pastes, usually in the absence of ettringite. The objectives of this study were to determine the solubility product of ettringite under equilibrium conditions and to examine the solubility data used in predictive thermodynamic models. Solubility products were calculated for ettringite prepared from both supersaturated and undersaturated solutions with a pH range between 10.4 and 13.7. The mean solubility product for ettringite dissolution: Ca₆Al₂O₆(SO₄)₃ · 32H₂O → 6Ca²⁺ + 2Al(OH)₄⁻ + 3SO₄²⁻ + 4OH⁻ + 26H₂O was 10^−44.91, i.e. Log K_sp = -44.91 ± 1.06 (2 S.D.). Activity coefficients were calculated using the specific ion interaction approach. The mean solubility product was close to other values calculated from concentrations reported elsewhere for the solubility of ettringite. As is the case for all solubility products, this value cannot be inserted directly into the databases of other thermodynamic models because of differences in the methods used to calculate activity coefficients and the manner in which ion-pairing is handled by different models. However, raw solubility data are provided for recalculation of the solubility product for use in other models.     

超细硼化锆粉体制备过程中的影响因素探究

探究了溶胶-凝胶协同碳热还原反应制备超细ZrB2粉体中Zr4+与柠檬酸的配比r、溶胶-凝胶温度T、体系pH值和分散剂含量c对ZrB2前驱体及热解产物的影响.并采用X射线衍射仪、红外光谱仪、激光粒度仪、场发射扫描电镜和透射电镜对ZrB2前驱体及热解产物进行表征和分析.结果表明:r=2,pH=4为柠檬酸和Zr4+发生络合反应的最佳条件;当T=50℃时,产物基本为球形或类球形,且粒度分布均匀;聚乙二醇除分散作用外,还能够对溶胶中团簇的交联起到“导向”作用,使热解后的晶粒排列有序,当c=2％时,可获得分散性好、尺寸均匀的产物.     

The thermal degradation of an amine-cured epoxide resin at temperatures between 200°C. and 310°C.

This paper describes the nonoxidative thermal degradation of an epoxide resin based on the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A crosslinked with p,p′-diaminodiphenyl methane. Temperatures of degradation lay between 200 and 310°C. and the process was followed concurrently by three means: changes in dielectric properties, changes in infrared spectra, and weight loss. Dielectric properties support the contention that there is a dehydration step during degradation. It is proposed that vacuum curing at high temperature can produce optimum crosslinking. Evidence of phenol and N-methyl aniline as degradation products is advanced, and possible degradation mechanisms are discussed.